putting money where our mouth is (loving Sabbath)
an extension of the previous post
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone on a subject in which you thought both of you were making comments that seemed germane, that seemed relevant? Then suddenly, you hear a remark appearing to come out of left field, appearing to come out of the clear blue sky.
(Quick note: I have never had such a conversation. I’m simply relating stories I have heard!)
However, if you have had such a conversation, it would seem puzzling if in your opinion, a remark deviated from the clear flow of logic. That’s all I’m saying.
“You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”
What, I may ask, in the world does that mean? We may think that prohibition has come out of the clear blue sky, following as it does guidelines on people being flogged — which I will get back to!
The quote is from Deuteronomy 25:4. It was a common practice in the ancient Middle East to fix such a constraint on an ox or other animal used for this type of labor. If it was hungry, the animal may stop and eat some of the grain. The farmer could want to save the grain and/or keep the animal working. There are places where this practice persists.
The law of Moses was intended to prevent such cruel and petty behavior. Imagine how the ox felt.
Aside from the concern for the animal’s welfare, is there a more fundamental principle at work here? Shouldn’t the ox receive the fruit of its labor? “Oxen of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your muzzles!” (Oops, wrong manifesto.) I don’t know that Karl Marx ever said that.
As for flogging, it has been used as punishment throughout time and space. In some parts of the world, flogging is still practiced. The limit of forty lashes was actually a measure of grace. The concern for “your neighbor [being] degraded in your sight” was opposed to the lack of such concern in other cultures, in which someone could be whipped to death, or perhaps maimed for life (v. 3).
For the Israelites, the number of lashes was stopped at thirty-nine, just to make sure they didn’t lose count and go over forty. So if you’re going to get flogged, count yourself lucky if the hand holding the whip belongs to someone who obeys the law of Moses!
Now returning to the oxen — after having dipped our toe into the water of animal rights — how does this apply to humans? Maybe we can see a continuity between flogging and muzzling. The mention of muzzling doesn’t come out of the blue after all. There is a common recognition of dignity.
The apostle Paul shares some thoughts. In 1 Corinthians 9 he says, “Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not get any of its milk? Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law also say the same?” (vv. 7–8). He doesn’t base his questions on merely a human foundation. Rather, he appeals to a heavenly one.
In our own time, the basis of human rights is not based on international law, as laudable as it may be. Rather, it ultimately has its foundation in that we are created in the image of God. That is what is violated.
Paul continues with the aforementioned instruction, “For it is written in the law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was indeed written for our sake, for whoever plows should plow in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the crop” (vv. 9–10).
I’m not sure the instruction was “entirely” for our benefit. Still, the point is made that all should profit from one’s own work. Paul then narrows the focus to him and his colleagues. He asks the church in Corinth, “If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we harvest material things?” (v. 11).
I will narrow it down even more to ministers installed in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Among the questions directed to the congregation at such a service are “Do we promise to pay him/her fairly, and provide for his/her welfare as he/she works among us; to stand by him/her in trouble, and share his/her joy?” Pay fairly; provide for welfare; stand by in trouble; share joy.
Maybe Paul’s quote of Moses regarding those oxen should be tossed in!
An uncomfortable thought regards giving to God compared to what we spend eating at restaurants, or going to the show, or whatever.
Going from narrowing to broadening, those laboring oxen being rid of their muzzles speak to society at large.
And it speaks to me. I love including images with whatever I write, as you can see right now!
If I’m doing an internet search and come upon an image that is just right — but also come upon the © copyright — I will move on. However, sometimes I ask permission and promise to give proper credit and provide a link to the source. I might receive a yes; other times I’m asked to pay a usage fee. I don’t begrudge those instances. Artists, like anyone else, should be paid for their work.
We are urged here in our town, and well as almost any other place, to support local art and living artists. I like the quote, “Buy art from a living artist. The dead ones don’t need the money.” Having said that, I guess I need to put my money where my mouth is!
If the oxen were being denied the fruit of their labor, at the same time they were being treated in a heartless fashion.
That aspect of oppression, even torture, infects our economy in a multitude of ways. How often do we ask ourselves how China is able to flood our nation, as well as the rest of the world, with dirt-cheap goods? How is it able to crank out mega-volumes of product? One explanation is the ruthless work environment found throughout the country. That keeps labor costs low and profit margins high.
Of course, China isn’t the only culprit. Our country isn’t immune from such immoral practices.
Another uncomfortable thought is how do we think products are available for overnight delivery? Someone has to be filling those orders, often at a grueling pace.
What happens when we unmuzzle those oxen? We give each their fair share. To put it simply, we aren’t jerks. We treat all in a holy fashion. We incorporate the nature of Sabbath rest into our lives. As Exodus 20 says, “the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work — you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave [or servant], your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns” (v. 8).
We are to extend mercy to human workers and to animal workers.
There is a document released this year by ECO, the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, entitled “Lord of Time: Living in the Rest and Reign of God.” It frames all of life, including the life and mission of Jesus Christ, with the vision of Sabbath. It outlines the wisdom and joyful creativity of Sabbath. Indeed, as Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus is its embodiment.
We read, “God loves everyone and everything that he has made and cares for their well-being. Therefore God calls his people to rest together, not on the backs of others who are working. The Israelites were to remember that they couldn’t rest when they were slaves in Egypt. God commanded them to be different from their slave drivers. Therefore they must give their workers rest. For no one can fully rest if others are restless around them or because of them.” (37)
Loving Sabbath means to express, to exemplify, the spirit of “Shabbat Shalom.” It means “sabbath of peace,” but shalom has many nuances. Included among those nuances are completeness, harmony, prosperity, reconciliation — basically, heaven on earth!
The “Lord of Time” document speaks of the “faithful practice of Sabbath life,” saying, “the yielding of this one day to God brings the recognition that all time is God’s. And where all time is lived under his reign and rule, all days filled with his love and grace, all minutes lived in his presence, human life is transformed… To ignore the Sabbath is to dull our senses to his active presence, love, and care.” (32)
Living a life of “putting money where our mouth is” transforms our economy into one of holiness. The word “economy” comes from the Greek oikonomos “household” and nemein “to manage.” How a household is managed. Thus, economy in the macro sense (the big picture sense) is how our household Earth is managed. Economics is more than figures, spreadsheets, and inventories. It is all of life.
If that same Spirit “who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies” (Ro 8:11). These vessels of clay we currently inhabit will be changed, transformed, into vessels filled with life indestructible.
Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, has burst the gates of death. If death is the ultimate barrier trapping us and each other from the promise and prosperity of shalom — a barrier broken by our Lord — how much less are the petty methods we use?
So thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through the resurrection, ascension, and glorification of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
